#1 Familiars - Antlers

Album: Familiars
Artist: Antlers

One line synopsis: Melancholic horns and lyrics focusing on mortality, makes for a surprisingly uplifting indie-rock album

Best Track: Palace

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I'm completely shocked that this album hasn't featured further up the lists from the usual suspects, especially given that their previous album was number 1 on drowned in sound's list a few years back. This is the first Antlers album I've gotten into and from the opening piano bars to the last song fading out it had me hooked with it's perfectly realised ambient psychedelic mood and sparkling falsetto vocals. There are stand out tracks on the album, but it works, like all classic albums should, as a complete piece.

Antlers feel like a band who could and should do a National, becoming unlikely stadium fillers with tunes that are far more personal and introspective than the usual stadium fodder. A lot of reviews mention the similarity between the two bands and whilst I can certainly hear it in places, I don't think it's a fair comparison for either act.

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Notes on the top 10:
* Yes I am sad enough to do a top 10 every year
* All albums must have been released this year
* I must own the physical copy of each of them
* I'm fairly sure there are other albums out there that would make this list had I got round to buying them, feel free to tell me what I've missed
* full countdown tagged nstop102014
* click through to see last year's top 10 and click through again for the year before that